The Informant's Ocean
by ChainedThoughts
Summary: This is a tale of the almost everyday life of an Informant in his playground; Ikebukuro. The meetings of Devils and Angels that would set the balance of nature a little tipsy.
1. Prologue

**Kyahou~**

**This is not my first time writing a fanfic but anyway, I'm writing this for a friend~**

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Chapter One

~The Past. ~

7:30AM, Monday. 20xx.

That was the time shown upon Orihara Izaya's phone as he stared at it while sitting on top the school building. It's the start of his first week in high school. He had decided to try out Raira Academy that seemed to have piqued his interest in a way. He knew that he was going to have a lot of fun manipulating the school and inflict chaos upon his beloved humans.

"Seems like there's a change in the wind," He snickered and pocketed his phone when he felt the feeling of something strange yet thrilling coming his way.

In the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something that caused his heart to stop beating for a moment. His attention was captivated by someone that he was quite sure he didn't know of and judging from her clothes, he knew she was a foreigner. Her long, flowing hair just past her waist was the colour of cherry blossom petals and at that moment he knew how much fun he'll have tormenting her until her hair would be stained the crimson colour or blood instead of the soft cherry blossom petals.

The maiden who he was gazing upon felt someone watching her as her eyes searched for it and just as her head tilted up towards the roof, the feeling was gone since there was no one there.

"Ojyou-Sama?" One of the staff members called out to her. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, shaking her head to reassure them there was nothing wrong.

"It's nothing. Will you show me where the Principal's Office is?" Her voice as cold as ice, addressing the staff members as they simply bowed and led her inside the school. How amusing, she thought to herself.

~8.00A.M, First Period. ~

Orihara Izaya doesn't often go to class, actually it was more accurate to say that he goes to school only to mess with a certain protozoan that he met via Shinra during the opening ceremony of his first day in school. Shinra and Izaya's meeting was quite a while back in middle school some say, although their relationship is not really as friends nor comrades nor anything of the sort. Izaya doesn't really care about anyone, not even himself yet somehow Shinra seems to not mind the informant's company.

"Everyone, settle down. It's a little late as classes started last week but we have a transfer student." The homeroom teacher stated this particular morning that Izaya happens to be present. The Homeroom teacher is a stout, plump of a man with a bald lining and a friendly face although deep down he's just a scared little mouse of his students and peers. "Come on in, Nightray-San."

And with that, the person from earlier who was wearing such clothes that stands out is now wearing the Raira Academy uniform. Her hair was now tied in a side braid with a dark blue ribbon to hold on to it. The new comer's pink hair colour was already standing out as it is but it was her eyes that captivated the class. It was as though they were staring into a marble that held the entire ocean within it. The entire class, including Izaya was speechless though the informant was speechless for other reasons.

"Iris Nightray." She spoke with an icy cold tone and bows almost royal like. "I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. My apologies for arriving late, I had to cancel my flight to attend a meeting."

The moment she mentioned her name, the whole class was in an uproar of excitement because it was not something common for someone from the Four Great Dukedoms to transfer to Raira of all places. Of the four, it was said that the Nightray Dukedom is the most fearsome and that it was being led by the youngest daughter.

"So that's the Duchess, ne?" Izaya snickers softly to himself, watching the pinkette closely as she makes her way towards a seat by the window and right next to his. "Pleased to meet you, Iris Nightray."

His smile wasn't something that most people would want to see as it usually means that he's up to no good but the pinkette didn't seem to feel any hatred coming from him. She didn't exactly return his smile as her expression was blank and nodded at him.

"The pleasure is mine, Orihara Izaya." It was a surprise that an outsider knew his name as the other students gawked at her like fishes about to swallow their meal. Iris noticed this and emits a soft sigh from her lips. "I had gone through the student data before coming here earlier so it would not be a hassle once I arrive." Just as her voice was cold, her personality seems colder as though there was a barrier surrounding her.

"This is going to fun indeed." Izaya whispers softly to himself mostly.

Fated meetings don't happen often, to most people it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and somehow the meeting between the Demon and the Angel was necessary. This is their story and how they shaped their world together with the promise of chaotic fun for both of them. It was perhaps the only time that Izaya has found the target he needed other than Shizuo oddly enough but he decided it was best.

~Chemistry Class~

It was during these times that the Duchess was usually seen gazing out the window. Chemistry was not in her interest though she did ace the practices perfectly and her responses to the teachers were always the same when asked;

"I have no desire to learn it when I'm already advanced in my studies. My apologies for not informing sooner, please do continue with your lectures."

Izaya's eyes were always watching her every moment like a hawk ready to pounce on its pray though Izaya was probably thinking of using her in some way but the woman was far too smart and cunning as he was which annoyed him a little bit. It also made him quite impressed at the same time. During classes the teachers didn't really bother to ask him to do any form of work in case they get on his bad side which is never a good idea. Shinra who was in Izaya's class was having too much of a fun time though he did mention that their new classmate is sometimes hard to approach and it felt like she had something to hide.

"Something to hide?" Izaya asked when Shinra confided (well it wasn't really confiding if the informant already knew about it) in him about it.

"It feels that way, doesn't it? She's no ordinary student and I don't think she's here for school either. It's like she's waiting for something or observing someone's movement. Why else would she be here?"

"Hmm." Now that got the informant thinking and his crimson hues were almost shimmering with excitement. Those who knew of him or heard of him were always careful not to be the one who inflicts this sort of fun for him or its their school life (and most likely their life) that would be effected.

The Duchess did not hear them much to Izaya's dismay but it didn't matter since this need careful planning so he didn't pay any more attention to her for the time being but Shinra caught a glance of her lips curling to a smile.

_Did she really not hear us? That smile felt cold._ He thought to himself but brushes it off when the bell rang for lunch and he quickly follows Izaya as he didn't want to be alone in case she came up to him for a talk.

It took them about a week or so to plan everything (mainly Shinra's work) while Izaya was busy playing with Shizuo. Every day there was a number of damaged property because of their cat and mouse fight and every day, the bubble gum coloured hair Duchess kept watching them with an interest that didn't really show upon her face but it was there all the same.

"Are they always like that?" She asked Shinra one day while Izaya and Shizuo were having a row at the courtyard. She was leaning against the table by the window as her eyes stayed focused upon the two males.

"Majority of the time." Shinra noticed that she didn't look at him nor did she ask about a certain informant's plans in regards to her. There seemed to be a wall around her or a barrier of sorts that didn't really allow anyone to approach her. Her hair neatly tied with a ribbon, her clothes were always tidy and well ironed, she didn't wear socks like everyone else; they were leggings that went well with her modified school shoes that were black ankle high heels compared to other girls. "Why are you here, Miss Nightray?" He found himself asking after clearing his throat.

"In this school? I am waiting." She says calmly. Her eyes finally gazing at Shinra with a smile. "But I believe you already knew that, I shall be looking forward to what you and Orihara have planned for me. I assure you that it would quite useful to past the time."

~Present Time. ~

It's been almost ten years since Shinra thought about the first time he met a certain Duchess. He couldn't recall as to why he thought of her but it was possibly because Celty was having tea with her while he's fixing up Izaya's wound that the two of them are keeping quiet about how he got it. The bruises were easy to figure out since he had gotten it from Shizuo but the other wounds seem to be a week old at least. Shizuo had arrived earlier to be bandaged up by Shinra and with Iris around the two of them wouldn't dare hurt one another or it was her they'd be dealing with and that's even worse.

"I'll give you some medicine for the pain but the wounds would take a longer time to heal so don't do anything that would open them again." Although Shinra spoke to Izaya, it was Iris he wanted to tell it to so that Izaya would 'maybe' listen or something but it only caused the informant to grumble a little though he smiled his usual smile.

"I assure you that Izaya-Sama doesn't need me to babysit him each time. I can't believe I had to deal with his mess during my visit, how rude." She sighs softly in annoyance, sipping her tea.

"You always say that, Iris-Chan but you seem quite happy to have been a part of it." Izaya smirks at her.

"I'm going to pulverize you and rub salt on that wound if you utter any more nonsense, Orihara Izaya." There was electricity in the air so Celty taps Iris's shoulder to get her attention and possibly ease her intent to murder in Shinra's apartment. "What is it?"

[You came here to visit Izaya? How long are you staying this time, Iris-San?] The Dullahan types away on her PDA before showing it to the Duchess who smiles at her.

"I came here about a week ago for work. I should be in Ikebukuro for a while longer as I have a few things I need to settle." She replied without revealing much about her work.

"You were already here for a week? Shizuo didn't tell me anything about it." Shinra knew that whenever Iris flew to Japan, she would stay with Shizuo though sometimes she did stay with Izaya.

"She stayed with me this time since Namie-San wasn't around to do my laundry." Izaya answered for her and got up for a stretch, checking to see if he's good to walk while not opening up any old wounds.

"Don't you mean you called me because you looked to be dying and needed someone to bandage you up?" The Duchess rolls her eyes at his dishonesty yet again and the informant snickered at her in annoyance that she was right but didn't say anything.

"Izaya-Kun, you have an issue." Shinra felt bad for him and Celty only shook her head.

"In any case, I thank you for having me over for tea, Shinra although I'm not too happy about the state of your kitchen. Please do something about the beakers in the fridge as well as I do not intend on dying of poison in your apartment."

"I-I see… Sorry about that, Iris." He wasn't quite sure if he should happy hearing that but shrugs it off. "So where are you two going after this? You need to rest up, Izaya-Kun."

"I'm taking him to eat at Simon's place. His kitchen might as well not have been built since there's nothing there and I would prefer it if he ate more." Iris finished her cup of tea before standing up.

[Will you be free around this week? We could have some time for ourselves as well, Iris-San.] Celty asked, usually when Iris was in town the two of them would drag Shizuo out for some parfaits and talk about animals.

"I'll let you know when I'm free. I miss you terribly, Celty." Her smile softens as she heads to the door with Izaya beside her. "I'll be seeing you, Shinra."

The two of them left Shinra's apartment and headed straight to Russia Sushi for a bite to eat which the two of them had already planned until Izaya saw an opportunity to play with Shizuo while Iris drank a cup tea while waiting for the two grown men to finish their little game. It was quite a tedious matter for her and it was only after she noticed that Izaya's movements had slowed down due to his wounds opening up that she intervened and stopped them.

"Oh Izaya. Eat sushi? Sushi good." A large Russian man with a smile, towering over both the informant and the Duchess with a flyer of the shop. His Russian accent Japanese was easy enough to understand though he over pronounce most words which made certain people actually uncomfortable.

"Hello Simon." Iris waves to him.

"Oh Iris. How good it is to see you. Eat sushi?"

"How about our usual table, Simon?" Izaya tells him and the Russian nodded, showing them inside to their table that has the view of the entire shop without being seen. A favourite of the informant to observe his beloved humans.

"Eat sushi?" Simon hands them each a menu and smiles.

"I'll have my usual, Simon." Izaya didn't need to look at the menu since he's always ordering fatty tuna no matter where he went to eat.

"I'll have the sashimi set if that's okay with you Simon. I'm ordering California rolls for Izaya-Sama as well so that will be all." She returns the menus and smiles at Simon who bowed and left to take their orders.

"And why am I having California rolls?"

"Because I said so and because you need to eat more if you wish to recover faster. The faster you recover, the faster I'll stop nagging at you." She added before Izaya could even protest about his wounds. "If you be a good boy and listened to me like I told you then you wouldn't have to play with Shizuo and opened up your wounds." She sighs tiredly.

"I can't understand the protozoan's way of thinking and it wasn't my fault he came sniffing me out."

"Wasn't that because /you/ went to seek him out?" The Duchess folds her arms and gazes at him sternly. The informant sighs and nodded in defeat though usually he would have a million excuses as to why he needed to annoy Shizuo but Iris was not someone who could believe anything he says fully. She was too smart for him.

"Why are you here anyway? You told Shinra that it was because I called but you didn't tell him that you were already here prior to that, so why are you here?"

"My business is my own. It was by chance that you called actually, I was planning on doing the same thing. I need information on someone and you're the only informant I can trust." Trust was not really what she felt, it was more like she respected his abilities and skills but she didn't like the way he used it. Not that it was any of her business of course.

"So Iris Nightray is my next client. This would prove interesting." His usual devilish smirk returns, leaning his cheek against his palm. "What do you need to know?"

~End of Chapter One~

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**There, prologue ended.**

**I don't really know if it's any good but I'm working on the next chapter for now.**

**Thank you for taking the time to read it anyway. ^^**


	2. Omake: Valentine's Day Special

**Kyahoooou~ **

**Hisashiburi desu ne~ PLEASE FORGIVE THIS SILLY PERSON.**

**Anyways, I made a short Valentine Special and will probably continue this fanfic now that my muse has return. **

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Valentine's Day Special

8.45am, Sunday. 20xx.

Valentine's Day; a day celebrated with loved ones either family members or a significant other. It was a day whereby the girls would give a boy of their liking either home-made chocolate or store-bought chocolate. In Ikebukuro was no different, everywhere you go there were couples that would be celebrating such an occasion; like Kida Masaomi and Saki Mikajima who were going to be spending it together away from Ikebukuro, Yagiri Seiji and Mika Harima who were spending theirs together while walking the streets of Ikebukuro with their eyes only seeing each other though in their case this was and everyday thing and so many others. Of course one would not expect the Fortissimo of Ikebukuro or the underground informant to celebrate such a useless tradition but fortunately some might debate that it would be a little different this year.

Heiwajima Shizuo; had the weekend off and he had been going around town searching for something in particular since Friday. His mood had been ups and downs lately that it was hard to tell what he was thinking about at all. He was so lost in thought that he even passed by Orihara Izaya yesterday and the day before as well without causing injuries to innocent vending machines though the informant seemed to have been busy at the time to play with Shizuo so perhaps it was for the best anyway.

As he was walking around town, a certain Duchess had called out to him; he turned around at the mention of his name and also because the person whose voice it belonged to was someone he'd considered a dear to him. She had long, wavy pink hair elegantly swaying with the movement of the wind, her eyes a striking blue that made one wonder if they're staring into the ocean at some point; Iris Nightray.

"Aa, Iris? Been awhile since I last saw you," He gave her a slight nod of his head. They met during his high school days in Raira when she was an exchange student for a whole year. Funnily enough they met through that annoying flea but he somehow warmed up to her because he realized she was nothing like Izaya even if she did have a sort of connection with him. What connection it was he wasn't sure but he really didn't enjoy having her around that bastard flea.

"Good morning, Shizuo. It has been a while," She smiled gently at him. The two of them were good friends, they somehow bonded during the times he had to be bandaged up by her. She didn't really trust his childhood friend Kishitani Shinra when it comes to bandaging people up. He looked too much like a pervert and seemed oddly enthusiastic about analysing Shizuo's injuries. "You look a little troubled, is something the matter?"

The Fortissimo of Ikebukuro glanced down at his pinkette friend and sighed, he really can't hide anything from her especially if he gazed directly into her clear blue eyes. "You're really something huh. Tom-San gave me some time off during the weekend and I've been looking for something to buy for someone since Friday."

"A present? What kind of present?" Actually she had already figured out it might be for today's occasion but she couldn't bring herself to ask him because she thought it'd be way more fun to tease him about it later on. She's a bit of a sadist. She smiled at him, mischief reflected in her eyes but a playful sort of mischief that wouldn't harm anyone. "Would you like some help? I don't have anything to do."

"Aren't you in Ikebukuro for work? You rarely come here during the weekends. Where are you staying for the weekend?" He took out one of his cancer sticks and wanted to have a smoke but then he decided against it as Iris hated his smoking habits.

"Well I arrived here Thursday night and I've been staying at Izaya-Sama's place. I had a meeting earlier today so I thought I'd stay there for the weekend. I'll return to Sablier tomorrow morning."

He had to think about her offer for a bit and nodded, it was so much better getting a lady's opinion about the present he's going to buy anyway so he took up on her offer. Only then did he process Izaya's name into his brain and a vein popped out the side of his head. "Oi, are you still friends with that bastard flea? Iiiiizaaayaaaaa!" He was going to do some major damage to a bunch of innocent railings if he wasn't stopped at this rate.

Iris simply sighed and shook her head, reaching up to pat this head gently. "Shizuo, I need you to calm down. We're going to look for a present right? We can't have such an important item destroyed with your brute strength, it's really troublesome to pay for the damages later." She wasn't at all sugar coating her words, in fact she made sure to be as blunt as possible all the while smiling sweetly at her dear friend.

He compromised, calming down slightly. "I'll kill him tomorrow. Sorry about that, where do we start?" He was grateful to her ability to calm him down easily despite her rather sharp tongue which he found to be quite useful in times like these because he knows that no matter what she will never say anything but the truth even if it was hard to hear at times.

"Well what kind of present are you looking for? I doubt it's for a guy and because you asked me, I'm guessing it's for a lady? I guess that narrows it down a little," He nodded, amused at her brain storming on her own.

"Hmm, I was thinking something like jewellery? She would look good with a necklace," He said to her, his expression softening as he thought of the lady in question.

"Necklace? That's a good start, shall we head off to the jewellery store in Sunset City? They have some form of sale that lasts for three days and today is the last day with extra discounts because it's Valentine's Day. There's also an apparel store there so we'd kill two birds with one stone," She was also planning on buying a gift for someone herself so it was a good opportunity.

"For someone who rarely returns, you are pretty well informed about what's going on here. It must be that bastard flea's influence," He shook his head, getting that louse out of his train of thoughts today and led her to Sunshine City while reminiscing about how they first met and stuff. It wasn't a topic most people their age would talk about but they both have a sort of old soul in them that wasn't necessarily bad. There's nothing wrong with talking about the past, so long as they don't stay in the past and anyway their past together wasn't a bad one.

7.30am, Sunday. 20xx.

Orihara Izaya; he had woken up to see that his guest had not only prepared his breakfast but also left a note stating she would be in Ikebukuro today for a meeting. If his information was correct, the meeting would be with the Awakusa-kai's prominent member; Haruya Shiki. He knew that she hated meeting the yakuza on her own since they disgust her and always went with him so it was a surprise to see she had gone off first. Actually it was a good thing too because he had planned to chase her out after they were done with the meeting. He wanted to call the courier over in secret to consult her about something that he really can't ask anyone else, not even Iris nor Namie. He did ask Namie but as he had guessed, she was of no help at all because all she thought about was that weird brother of hers.

"Yo, Courier-San~ I have a job for you~" The call only lasted a few seconds considering said courier is unable to actually answer him anyway.

7.50am, Sunday. 20xx.

Celty was with Shizuo at this time; she had to deliver a package to his boss so it just so happens the two them were talking to each other when she received the call from Izaya. It seemed like he had a job for her and since she needed money badly she thought it was a good idea to accept the job. Shizuo was taking a puff of his cigarette and watched her hopped on her bike before typing away on her PDA.

[I'm sorry Shizuo. It seems like I have another job this morning.] She obviously had no desire to tell Shizuo that it's with the informant.

"Another job? It's understandable. Thanks for delivering the boss's package." He took another drag of his cigarette before exhaling and putting it out to throw away in the trash can.

[I'll meet up with you for lunch later if I can or maybe I'll text you once I'm done with work. You wanted to eat at the parfait place right?]

He chuckled at the message on her PDA and waved her goodbye as he headed towards town where he would meet the pinkette by chance an hour later. Celty watched her blonde friend go before riding off into the direction of Shinjuku where Izaya was staying and passed by Mikado who was on his way to meet Anri along with the Saki and Yagiri couple. Ikebukuro truly is a town where coincidences collide on a daily basis that it seems more like fate is at work. The Fortissimo meeting up with the Duchess (which was still by chance) while the Dullahan meets up with the informant (not really by chance since he called her).

9.00am, Sunday. 20xx.

Shizuo and Iris arrived at one of the jewellery stores in Sunshine City and were looking around the place for a necklace. He seemed to have gotten quite a few stares already from simply being in the store but no one seemed to mind so long as he doesn't start destroying the place. It was definitely a good idea to have Iris around in case such an event were to occur anyway. There were a lot of necklaces that ranges in shape, size and colour that it was so difficult to choose. Shizuo had an image of what he wanted and none of the necklaces he's seen so far is remotely close to what he in mind. Iris herself enjoyed looking at the necklaces but she wasn't exactly a jewellery person because she'd end up staining it or losing it one way or another.

"Do you see anything you like Shizuo?" She asked him out of curiosity but somehow guessed what he was going to answer him.

"Not really," He replied and glanced over to her. "What would a girl like you enjoy getting?"

"Me?" She blinked, a little surprised but thought about it pretty seriously. "I suppose anything would do so long as the person who bought it for me placed a lot of thought into it," Actually she would be extremely happy in receiving just chocolates.

"I thought you'd say that," He nodded at her answer, pleased by it from the looks of it. "You had always been that way since we met in Raira," If he was being truly honest, he had not expect the pinkette to be grateful to anything given to her when they first met because she always had this cold personality about her that it seemed to be a waste of time for people to give her any form of gift. He did however change his mind when he first noticed some students from his class giving her love letters and presents even if it wasn't her birthday, he had expected her to throw them away but all she did was thank them and accepted all the gifts given to her despite not being able to return their feelings for her.

"Shall we try some other place? Or would you like to ask the owner if he has what you're looking for at the back?" She pointed to the old man behind the counter.

"Are we even allowed to do that?" He raised an eyebrow at the old man.

"It doesn't hurt to ask you know," The Duchess was already walking towards the old man so Shizuo had no choice but the follow her lead. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help my friend look for something to purchase? I'm sure you have more selections at the back," She smiled politely at the old man, working her charm around him.

"We might have something for you, Lady Nightray. It's always a pleasure to serve you," Of course everyone knew of the Nightray Dukedom so it wasn't surprising that even the old man not only feared her but was doing his utmost best to be on her good graces. "Come around the back and I'll give you a tour."

He gestured for them both to follow them which they did, Shizuo had noticed the change in the old man's behaviour but because Iris smiled at him, he didn't think too much on it. As the two of them entered the back room, Celty and Izaya happened to have entered the jewellery store in search of something for Izaya as well. They didn't catch a glimpse of the former bartender nor the Duchess nor did the latter hear them come in either and if they did, the store will truly be in a mess due to the fighting that might occur between Shizuo and Izaya.

"Are you positive this is what girls would like, Celty?" The black hooded informant looked around the place at all the necklaces and rings available but he can't imagine the person he's thinking of to be wearing jewellery or anything of the sort.

[For an informant you're not very good at this are you? Isn't this what most girls save their money for to buy?] Actually, Celty wasn't sure herself of what girls like and it was a mistake asking her of all people anyway because she's never thought about what she wanted from anyone. The only presents she's ever received were from Shinra and occasionally from Shizuo.

"This is where my information won't work on someone who has all the money in the world to buy anything she wants…" He admitted rather dejectedly. "I know everything there is to know about her but what can you get someone who has everything?"

The Dullahan wasn't sure where he's going with this, she's surprised to see the informant thinking about someone in that sense though she did recall he's always saying how much he loves humans so maybe he snapped. [Well if there's nothing here that you like should we move on?]

"Good idea. I'm getting the chills just being in this shop for some reason." He pocketed his hands and left the shop with the Dullahan trailing after him. The moment the two of them left the shop, Shizuo and Iris had just left the back room as well.

"We thank you for your time, mister. They were all wonderful selections of course but I'm afraid my friend wasn't able to find what he was looking for here," Iris said it sincerely, the old man shook his head and smiled at her.

"That's alright, Lady Nightray. I hope you and your friend come again soon," He was at least kind enough to them as he watched the both of them leave the shop.

"Where to next, Shizuo? Are we still searching for a necklace or should we just search around the shops for something else similar to what you're looking for?" She blinked when she noticed her blonde friend had grown quiet the moment they stepped outside the shop. She followed his line of sight but was immediately blocked by Simon. "Simon? What are you doing here?"

"Oh hey, Simon. Is Russia Sushi closed today? I was just thinking of getting us both something to eat," He was a bit relieved to see Simon blocking his way because he was quite sure he saw Celty with that bastard flea. They seem to be doing something together and that made him a little angry on the inside but he didn't want the flea to ruin his day before he could get the present. He did his very best to endure everything he's feeling so he's really glad that it was Iris by his side though if she had seen Izaya there's a high possibility she might get angry herself.

"Sushi good. Good sushi. Eat sushi. I was out to deliver sushi. Eat sushi," Simon responded to Shizuo's question. The two of them really have no idea what Simon is saying half the time because of his thick Russian accent. At least that's what they try to convince themselves because Simon had a rather peculiar way of speaking Japanese; its fluent but at the same time you're questioning yourself.

"Maybe later Simon. We have something to do right now, right Shizuo?" She smiled politely at him and waved the dark Russian goodbye.

"Aa, see you Simon."

"How about that shop next, Shizuo?" She pointed at another accessory store that also sold handmade ornaments. It was one of those handmade shops that would give up some of their profit to charity.

"That looks good, let's head there now," He followed her lead to their next destination, leaving Simon to resume his Russia Sushi delivery. "When you're hungry, let me know so we could stop for a bite to eat. I'll treat ya for all the times ya bandaged me up."

"How kind of you, thank you Shizuo~ I'll be sure to put that in mind when we eat later." She giggled softly.

Further ahead at another store were the informant and the Dullahan, they had now entered a toy shop that sold all those plushies, teddy bears and stuff. Izaya recalled that he had ask her if she would accept a teddy bear from and she had answered that she would but he wasn't sure if she loved teddy bears in general or because it was a gift from him. Humans are so predictable but she wasn't at all so it frustrated him when he couldn't think of anything good to buy. Celty had been observing the info broker for a while now, his reactions were amusing to the Dullahan and she was having a lot of fun seeing all these new sides to him that she's sure only one person has ever seen as well as being the main reason for his multiple expressions that rapidly changes at the current time.

[Izaya, are you able to find what you're looking for? I'm sure that whatever you're giving her would surely be appreciated anyway.] She didn't add the part where she thinks his trolling traits might be accepted, somehow she pretty much guessed who the present is for by now so she was quite sure that Izaya's gift would be well liked by that person.

Izaya sighed while looking around the place when something caught his attention; it was a golden brown teddy bear that had a blue rose sewn in the middle of its torso with sparkling blue eyes that seemed to be made of clear marbles. He stared at it long enough before picking it up, the eyes of the teddy bear were what drew him to it in the first place and he smiled at his achievement on finding the perfect gift. "I finally found it Celty, I remembered seeing this before a long time ago but I didn't dare buy it at that time." He didn't buy it at the time because her response to his question was pretty complicated but as time passed he would always search around for a teddy bear without ever buying it until now. He quickly took his purchase to the counter and paid for it in cash, asking it to be wrapped in the most beautiful way possible.

Celty couldn't believe what she's seeing; the great Orihara Izaya looked like a child who had gotten a birthday present. It did creep her out a little but even he is able to feel at least a drop of human emotions. No one could be that twisted, she's just happy to have been of help to him even though really she did nothing. Now it was her turn to search for a gift for someone and it was Izaya's turn to help her. The informant knew of what she wanted in return so he didn't really mind helping her, he's in too much of a good mood anyway now that he's gotten the best present. Celty wasn't going to get what she wants here so the two of them left the toy store and headed in direction to the men's apparel store.

"What are you planning on getting that protozoan? Just so you know, he's a brainless oaf so whatever you give him will make him happy," He said with a sigh, not understanding why she's so keen on that walking destruction.

Celty wasn't surprised he found out about it at all. [It's still my decision, Izaya now just help me since I helped you look for a gift for Iris-San.]

"Wh-Who told you it would be for her?! I just liked teddy bears!" He retorted back, the Tsundere informant blushed up to his ears and look away. "If I must," He was grateful to her help anyway so it was only natural to return the favour as he did not want to be in debt with her.

[You're actually the shy type huh?] Celty was in a state of silent trembling, basically her body language gave away that she was laughing too hard seeing the great informant in such a state.

The two of them entered the apparel store while Shizuo and Iris who were ways behind them entered another jewellery store next to the toy store. Shizuo still hadn't been able to find the necklace of his liking as of yet but he's sure of it this time that he'd find it. He had a gut feeling about the whole matter. Usually his gut feelings were right on the mark but that's usually when it has to do with the bastard flea messing up in his town.

"Wow, I've never been to this store before so I'm impressed by all the things they have around here," Iris looked around the place, there wasn't anyone else in the shop but the two of them since it's a pretty secluded area and most people turn a blind eye to it after seeing the toy shop anyway.

"I've never seen this shop before either so I think we'll be lucky," Shizuo nodded in agreement. There were all sorts of accessories around the place. He even found a pendant that was made of glass and within it was a dried up rose that made it looked extremely vintage. He glanced over to the Duchess and for a moment he thought that this would suit her so he chuckled a little and moved on looking for the perfect gift.

"They even have bracelets as well, they seem to be handmade from the looks of it. The carvings are extremely detailed." She picked one up and looked at it. It had a red ruby in the middle with markings underneath, not that she could make out what kind of markings they were but it looked cool. "Did you find anything you like, Shizuo?"

The Fortissimo looked around and noticed a strange door at the back, something about it was drawing him closer. Eventually he opened the door and peeked his head inside where there were more accessories that seemed to either be incomplete or still in the process. This was surely not a good idea to be lurking around the place, its trespassing and yet he's still entering anyway. "I didn't expect anyone to have entered this room," Said a voice, pleasant to the ears albeit surprised, also extremely familiar. Shizuo glanced back to see Kadota wearing an apron and carrying a box of trinkets with him. He was more than surprised to see Shizuo of all people to be at the back but then again the manager of the shop seemed to have noticed yet done nothing, allowing the blonde former bartender to enter. "What are you doing here? I can't see you as the type to buy these things if I'm being perfectly honest."

"Kadota. I didn't expect to see you here. Sorry about trespassing, I had an urge to come in for some reason." He rubbed the back of his neck and bowed in apology.

"You're not the first. Don't worry about it. Plus it's not my shop, I just happen to be helping out whenever I'm free." Kadota placed the box of trinkets he was carrying on a table nearby then looked to his friend. "I saw Nightray outside calling your name so I thought you'd be in here. Are you two out shopping?"

"Ah I left Iris alone but she'll be fine on her own," He wasn't really worried about the Duchess since no one would dare come after her anyway. "I'm looking for something to buy someone, I had Iris help me out since it's for a lady," He said the last bit rather quietly, being shy was not exactly something he'd show often but only his closest of friends knew he can be shy.

"A gift huh? Why don't you look around here? There's lots of things that don't go on sale because the owner couldn't decide how to finish it but maybe if you wanted it designed your way he might be able to sell it to you," Kadota suggested to the blonde.

"That's probably a good idea. I'm looking for a necklace that looks kinda like this," Shizuo took out a piece of paper from his pockets and showed it to Kadota. It was a brochure he seemed to have kept with him for a long time. Judging by the folded creases, Shizuo had the brochure with him for at least a year or so, the colour faded.

Kadota had a close look to the picture with a nod. "I remember this brochure, they were handing it out at the time huh. I didn't think you'd keep it. I think we have something like that here. You're welcome to look around."

He thanked his old friend and resumed his search, Kadota did help him a little but he was working after so the manager called him once or twice to move a few things. Iris had not joined Shizuo in his search as she was having a conversation with Erika and Yumasaki who came by to grab Kadota for lunch but ended up talking to her before he pulled them away. It wasn't long before Shizuo was done searching the place and finally found what he was looking for but it was in separate pieces so the manager told him to come back later once he put them together.

"I guess now is a good time to grab lunch while we wait huh?" She smiled at Shizuo who was in sheer bliss that nothing could possibly go wrong today. Oh how wrong he was when he came face to face with the very person he didn't want to see at all; Orihara Izaya.

1.30pm. Sunday. 20xx.

Finally the informant had the perfect gift, practically skipping in glee but he was restraining himself since that wasn't his usual conduct. Celty really couldn't help herself from laughing from time to time at his sudden bursts of joy, at least he was happy so that's all that matters. They were at an apparel store for men now, the headless black rider didn't know what to get the former bartender. Good thing she was with an informant and there wasn't anything he doesn't know, probably. No she had to think positive. Izaya and Shizuo are enemies so obviously he would know everything about his enemy right?

[Kasuka-Kun is always buying him bartender uniforms but I think he should at last buy other varieties as well.] She never did understood what the younger Heiwajima was thinking when he bought his older brother boxes and boxes of bartender uniforms.

"Well one could only hope to understand him," Izaya knew exactly why but it's a bit pointless to tell that to Celty right at this moment and she did have a point. "Bartender uniforms are his trademark though, Courier-San~ Are you planning on buying him something else to wear for dates~?" His lips formed into a devilish teasing smirk.

If Celty could blush, right now would be the proper moment to do so because she was completely flustered at his question that she barely made a proper response typed out on her PDA but the informant somehow understood what she was going to say and simply laughed at her. He was totally getting back at her for laughing at him earlier. Funny how these two got along great even if neither of them trust each other with their lives. "You should get him that shirt then? I don't think Shizu-Chan should wear bright colours so maybe dark colours would suit him just fine."

They looked around the store for a bit when Celty who didn't look where she was going, bumped into someone. Immediately she took out her PDA to type out her response but the moment she took a good look at who it was she bumped into, she panicked at seeing Iris. A million thoughts were running to her non-existing head. What was she doing here? The very person Izaya wanted to avoid while he was out looking for something to get her. There was only one thing to do and that was to distract the pinkette somehow but from a distance she could hear Izaya's voice coming in closer.

"Celty did you find what you were looking for?" Izaya asked her and instead of getting a response, the Dullahan's shadows pushed him out of the way so that Iris couldn't see him but much to her dismay she had pushed him straight into Heiwajima Shizuo.

Now it was Iris's turn to panic. Not only did she bump into Celty but Izaya happened to here and worst of all was that he was pushed into Shizuo. Both Celty and Iris were pale seeing the two enemies under one roof that they could barely register what to do next. Shizuo was already seething with rage, he was literally inches away from murdering an innocent inanimate object to throw at the louse and Izaya was close to taking out his knife from his pocket. The ladies were screaming internally as each of them stood in between the men, Iris trying to calm Shizuo down while Celty was doing her best to keep the informant away. It took both the men every willpower they had to just endure it for the sake of the person before them and also because Izaya didn't want the protozoan to damage his present for Iris while Shizuo didn't want to get Celty hurt. Grudgingly the two ladies had no choice but to drag the two men out the store and towards a more acceptable location; Russia Sushi. It was lunch time after all and if they tried killing each other at least Simon would be around to stop them as he always had since their middle school days.

2.00pm. Sunday. 20xx.

Heiwajima Shizuo was sitting opposite Orihara Izaya who happens to be his hated enemy to date. This was perhaps history in the making as it turns out that the two were calling it a truce today. Just for today they were willing not to murder each other, also because they were not alone. Iris was sitting next to Shizuo while Celty sat next to Izaya; the two ladies although worried they would kill each other were just pleased to see them both calm.

"Why don't we just order something to eat? Shizuo, you'll have your usual right?" Iris turned to face the blonde who was scanning the menu.

"Hold it, why do you know what Shizu-Chan likes?" The informant sounded annoyed, jealous almost but he didn't want to show it. Not in front of his enemy at least.

"Because I always eat with Shizuo whenever I come here? I also come with Celty too."

[Usually we would go to the parfait shop ne?]

"Speaking of the parfait shop, they have a new flavour out today. Shall we head there one of these days?" The question was only directed to the Dullahan and the bodyguard because she knew Izaya hates sweets.

[That's probably a good idea, just let me know in advance the next time you decide to come to Ikebukuro, Iris-San.]

The ladies had a more peaceful time speaking to each other than the guys who were both trying their absolute best not to kill each other so they settled with a death glare. Dennis could only sigh from the back counter as he prepared their orders before serving it to them. He's known the four of them for a long while now so it was truly amusing to see it this way, especially the fighting duo. Iris and Celty were talking like a couple of school girls on their day out while Shizuo and Izaya looked like boys who had their dates taken from them by the other.

"Thank you as always for the lovely sushi, Dennis~" Iris thanked the Russian with a smile and he in return gave her a nod before heading back behind the counter.

"Oi you bastard flea, you need to eat more meat. You're too skinny!"

"I don't want to hear this from Shizu-Chan who only eats pudding! Hurry up and die from diabetes!"

"Hurry up and die from starvation!"

The two of them continued on bickering about the weirdest of things but they didn't dare lift a finger to start fighting. Iris couldn't help but giggle at this, if she was honest such a scene was probably not even possible. Not even when the two first met. It made her happy in a way but she didn't say it out loud, it's fine to keep it in her heart though Celty noticed the expression on the Duchess's face and she too felt that this felt really nice.

"Celty, is it alright if I trade my date for yours?" The pinkette suddenly asked after she finished eating her sushi, causing the three of them to look at her in surprise.

[My date? Are you talking about Izaya?] Celty typed away in her PDA. She felt a shiver run down her spine at seeing the Duchess smiling sweetly at her. It scared her a little. Hopefully her hunch was wrong.

She continued smiling sweetly at Celty. Izaya who was sitting next to the Dullahan noticed the smile as well and deep down he thought that he was in so much trouble. "That's right, do you mind if I have him? I'll give you Shizuo."

In a rather panicked state, Celty quickly typed away in her PDA. [Wait you got it all wrong Iris-San. It wasn't a date-] Izaya had suddenly placed his hand on the screen before Iris could read the whole thing and smirked.

"Oiya? Are you in need of my services today, Iris-Chan?" He emphasized on her name which only made it worse as she stood up and walked away.

"Shizuo, I thank you for your time today," She glanced over her shoulder, still smiling. "Dennis, today's treat is on Izaya-Sama. Make sure to drain out all the money from him~" There was even a sweet tone to her voice.

The former bartender could only nod at her as he watched her walk out the store. "Flea, I think you'll probably die tonight, good luck," He was more than happy to get rid of Izaya. "Come on Celty, you're done with work right?"

"You're such an idiot, Shizu-Chan~" Izaya laughed, standing up to pay the bill before heading out to meet his doom with the pinkette though he didn't seem too sad about it. He seems to enjoy seeing her reaction.

"I'm not the idiot right now," He sighed, shaking his head before looking at his Dullahan. "Your job today was with him right? Since you're done with that bastard Flea, may I have your time for the rest of the day?" His expression softened.

[You found out huh?] Celty shrugged her shoulders, a little embarrassed but then again Shizuo had always been able to see straight through her. Only when she stood up with him to leave Russia Sushi did she realize she didn't even get him his Valentine present just yet.

"Actually, before we head anywhere do you think you can wait at the park for a bit? I just need to deal with something for a while," He can't tell her that he wanted to get the present he's been searching the whole morning for her.

[The park? There's something I have to deal with too so should we meet back at the park in an hour?] This gives her enough time to get him a present and because Izaya wasn't around it had to be something that's not an apparel.

"Mm? Something you have to do? Alright, an hour it is," He nodded and headed off in the direction of the store he went to earlier. He was sure they would be done by now.

Celty on the other hand didn't really know what to get Shizuo so instead she walked to a supermarket to buy ingredients to make pudding. She recalled the time Iris taught her how to make it so it should be easy enough. At least pudding was something she knew Shizuo loves other than parfait. Parfait was on her list but it seemed difficult to make on the first try so she decided against it. The Black Rider entered the supermarket and headed to the baking section, looking for the right ingredients. She took out her PDA to refer to the recipe Iris had messaged her so at least she wouldn't be at a total loss on what to get. As she was searching for the ingredients, she wondered how everything is going with Iris and Izaya. The Duchess seemed scary earlier. Hopefully Izaya wouldn't die so easily. She needed him for jobs that pay a lot after all.

3.08pm. Sunday. 20xx.

Iris was just walking around the city, her mind was elsewhere. Now that Izaya was with her, she thought it was a bad idea because she hadn't bought anything for him at all. Izaya followed on after her, sneaking glances at her every now and then to see if he could tell what she was thinking but it was of no use. He can't decide whether she was feeling annoyed or angry or jealous or simply just messing with him because she had been quiet since they left Russia Sushi a few minutes ago.

"Iris-Chan, are you going to start telling me where we're going?" He grabbed her hand to stop her from walking and in time too because she was about to walk into a pole. "I'm impressed you managed to not walk into the street," If such a thing happened, he knew he would have to be the one to grab onto her.

"Ah. My apologies, I was thinking about something. Thank you, Izaya-Sama but I'm pretty sure I'll be safe from harm. You're here after all," She looked up at him and smiled. "By the way, where are we going?"

He sighed, shaking his head. She would definitely be the death of him. "Ha? I was only following you because it looked like you wanted to take me somewhere," She really will be the death of him, especially with her 'my pace' attitude.

"Oh right. I did say something like that earlier. My apologies but I didn't really have specific location," She said it bluntly without any remorse whatsoever.

"You're worse than Shizu-Chan!" He scolded her but because he couldn't stand seeing her guilty face, he leaned his forehead to hers. "Sorry, what were you thinking about? Shiki-San didn't threaten you or anything right?"

She could feel the heat rising up her cheeks all the way to her ears when he was only inches away from her. "N-No. He didn't do anything wrong, we just talked about my next victim that's all. So it was a pretty short meeting."

"So long as he didn't hurt you then that's fine," He moved away, intertwining his fingers with hers. "I can't leave you alone for a second. Come on, I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"Anywhere?" She thought about it and smiled brightly. "Theme park~"

He laughed at her child like side but it warmed his heart even if he is a sadistic troll and with that he took her back to Shinjuku so that they could take his car to the theme park located in Tokyo. He made sure that she was happy, he did love going to places where there would be a lot of humans so it was a win-win situation anyway. It was one of those situations whereby the underground informant known as Orihara Izaya was human and less twisted. Valentine's Day was a day to spend with loved ones after all and he wasn't the only one. Even Heiwajima Shizuo spent it with the one he loved despite his shyness.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Celty. I hope you'd like it," They were spending theirs at Shizuo's place because Celty wanted to make him Valentine Puddings as she called it when he handed her a small nicely wrapped box.

[Shizuo, thank you. Happy Valentine's Day to you too~ I really love it.] She had her helmet off so her shadowy mist poofed out her neck to indicate she was blushing as she wore her necklace; it was a crescent moon next to the galaxy.

Shizuo ate all of Celty's pudding as they cuddled together watching Celty's favourite movies that involved mainly aliens. For someone who hates and fears aliens, she sure loved watching it and he didn't mind it because she's really adorable when she's scared. In his defence, the only reason he was able to hold her close to him was so that she wouldn't feel too scared when aliens appear and also to protect her. It was such a child-like reason but it was good enough so he blissfully had her in his arms the whole entire time. Time to time he wondered if Iris had killed off the flea yet but because he was too happy in such a situation he decided to think about it tomorrow.

"Izaya-Sama you really need to ride more roller coasters," The person in question was sitting on the bench with Izaya's head on her lap groaning. He wasn't bad at roller coasters or anything like that but Iris had practically dragged him to all the really hard-core rides just to get back at him.

"You're a demon, Iris-Chan. I'm never taking you here again," Despite his words, the result of his misery ended with being able to be with her like this so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. The feeling of her fingers in his hair, caressing him gently was so soothing that if he could, he would like to stay in this position forever.

"If you say so, Izaya-Sama~" She giggled.

"Iris, do you remember the time I asked you whether you loved teddy bears?" His voice was soft, it was barely audible but she heard him clearly.

"I do. Now that I think about it, you asked me on this day didn't you? All those years ago, why do you ask?"

"Did you love teddy bears in general or…?"

She gazed at him, her expression turned soft and loving. "You're very silly sometimes you know that, for a smart person I mean~" He sat up and sulked, looking away from her but all she did was hugged him from behind. "You're a silly informant~ I do love teddy bears but most of all I would love anything given to me by a silly boy who does nothing but observe people his whole life. I think, rather than teddy bears or any gift in the world, I would want him the most."

He was pouting at first until he heard her every word. He could feel her tightening her hug around him at the very end and lets out a laugh of relief. She will definitely be the death of him as he gazed up the sky, tears falling down his cheek. "You're such a troublesome Duchess."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Izaya."

* * *

**I hope its to your liking. I was worried that the ending might be bad but I wrote it as though I was watching an actual Omake so it had that sort of ending.**


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